Runaway
by eena-angel2001
Summary: CHAPTER FIVE UPLOADED!!! Two sisters get in a car accident. They should have died, but they ended up some place strange instead. Not a Mary Sue. Leggy will be coming in the next few parts, I promise!
1. Part One

Title: Runaway  
  
Author: eena_angel2001  
  
Rating: R  
  
Content: Some violence, quite a bit of swearing.  
  
Summary: The usual, two girls fall into Middle Earth.  
  
Disclaimer: Don't own anyone, except for Erin, Jenn, and Hunter.  
  
Song Lyrics from Linkin Park's Hybrid Theory, song called Runaway.  
  
Note: First LOTR fic, so be gentle.  
  
***indicates lyrics***  
  
Part One  
  
***Graffiti decorations  
  
Underneath a sky of dust***  
  
She honestly didn't know why Jenn put up with his crap. She didn't have to. Jenn was smart, pretty, and caring. She could have her pick of guys. But she picked this guy, and why she did, Erin had no idead. The guy was a jerk, a certifiable jackass with no regard for her older sister. He yelled at her, demeaned her in public, was overly jealous, and a loud- mouthed idiot. He drank too much, smoked too much, and did everything else too much.  
  
But Jenn loved him. No wonder everyone thought Erin was the smarter sister.  
  
***A constant wave of tension  
  
On top of broken trust  
  
The lessons that you taught me  
  
I learned were never true***  
  
The scenery flew by, entirely too fast. Hunter drove like he did everything else, in excess. He was going far too fast for this stretch of road. She didn't even want to glance up and see his face. He was angry again. He was always angry, either with her or with Jenn.  
  
Like she even cared if he was angry with her. He wasn't her father. He wasn't even close. Erin was a whole nineteen years of age, she didn't need this big lug of a man telling her what to do, where to do, or what to wear. Especially not what to wear.  
  
But Jenn, she hated it when Hunter was mad at her. It was that whole stupid being in love with him thing again. She really ought to stop that. It didn't matter what Jenn did, Hunter would always find something to be mad at her about. It was either her clothes, her hair, her makeup, or if he was feeling particularly burlish, the way she was looking at other guys. Erin knew that was complete bullshit. Her sister was so in love with Hunter she didn't know there were even other guys on the planet. But he didn't care. It never had to be true for him, he just wanted to yell at her for it. Hunter was a grade A asshole.  
  
***Now I find myself in question  
  
(They point the finger at me again)  
  
Guilty by association  
  
(You point the finger at me again)***  
  
"What the hell are you brooding about now?"  
  
She wanted to bash her head into the window. What was his problem now? Can't he even drive home without starting another argument?  
  
"Nothing," she mumbled in response. She didn't like talking to him. He like to use people's words against them. He could twist around the simplest sentence and turn it against you. That's why she only used one word responses with him. Of course, he still used it to start an argument.  
  
"What? You're not talking to me now?"  
  
See? She sighed, looking up to see his eyes in the rear-view mirror. Jenn was staring out the front window, refusing to look at either of them. She didn't like choosing between her sister and her boyfriend. But Hunter, being the prince that he was, always forced her hand.  
  
"I'm tired," she muttered, going back to looking out her window. She didn't have to look to see that Hunter was unhappy with her answer. She heard the squeak of leather as Hunter gripped the steering wheel tighter than before. There was an argument coming.  
  
And she was just too tired for it.  
  
***Paper bags and angry voices  
  
Under a sky of dust  
  
Another wave of tension  
  
Has more than filled me up  
  
All my talk of taking action  
  
These words were never true***  
  
The night had gone horribly. Just once Erin would like to go to a dinner with their friends and not have Hunter embarrass the hell out of her. He hadn't liked the way Jenn had been talking to Alex. Alex was freaking gay, but Hunter still had a fit over it. He dragged both of them out, swearing up a storm. Erin had caught Alex's eye for a second, and she had seen the pity in his eyes. Pity for Jenn, because she was in love with the oaf. And pity for her, because she got stuck with the ass by sheer default.  
  
"You know, your attitude stinks."  
  
Look who was talking.  
  
"What are you talking about Hunter?" she snapped, finally giving in. He wanted to fight, they would fight.  
  
"I'm talking about you," he spat at her. His eyes went to the rearview mirror and she could see the anger brewing there. Fine, whatever, she would be his verbal punching bag. But if he wanted to dish it out, he was going to have to learn to take it as well.  
  
"Hunter," Jenn spoke up, voice worried. "Look at the road."  
  
He ignored her. That's what he did when he was busy fighting with Erin. Until such a point when he felt like dragging her into the fight. Until that point, she had no voice with him.  
  
"If you have a problem, just say it," he sneered. "Come on Aera, let it out."  
  
She bristled at the use of Jenn's nickname for her. He had no right to turn a sentimental nickname into a tool of abuse.  
  
"Don't call me that!" she snarled at him.  
  
"You going to make me?"  
  
She rolled her eyes. He was such a pain.  
  
***I wanna run away  
  
Never say good-bye  
  
I wanna know the truth  
  
Instead of wondering why***  
  
She wanted out of this crap. If Jenn didn't want to leave him, that didn't mean Erin had to put up with him. But then again, how could she leave her sister? Jenn was all she had left in this world. She be damned if Hunter ran her away.  
  
"You're a little bitch, you know that?"  
  
But he wasn't far from it.  
  
***I wanna know the answers  
  
No more lies  
  
I wanna shut the door  
  
And open up my mind***  
  
"Hunter, the road."  
  
Jenn sounded kind of frantic now. But Hunter didn't care, he just turned on her, all pretences of driving out the window.  
  
"Do not tell me what to do-"  
  
Erin rose up in her seat, eyes out the window instead of on her companions.  
  
"Hunter-"  
  
"What?" he snarled, turning in his seat.  
  
"Hunter! The road!"  
  
He turned back just in time to see the curve coming up. He turned the wheel sharply, tires skidding as they protested the movement. Erin heard screaming, surprised to find it was coming from her own throat. Jenn was screaming too, Hunter's yell adding to the noise.  
  
The car spun, the tires burned rubber on the road, and they all screamed together. She saw the trees heading their way rather quickly, bracing her hands on Jenn's seat to keep herself from being jostled around too much.  
  
The sound of metal crunching was an interesting sound. It was surreal almost, sounding almost exactly like it did on television. Jenn's screaming really was too loud, too real. Hunter was fighting with the wheel, even though it was pointless now. They were already crashing, already in a wreck.  
  
Erin closed her eyes and willed it all away.  
  
***Gonna run away*** 


	2. Part Two

Part Two  
  
She woke to the sounds of birds. That was strange. She didn't think she would be waking today. She remembered only some things. She remembered anger, fear, and then pain. There was pain, she remembered that most vividly.  
  
But now there were birds, and they were singing rather happily. It was like they didn't know she had been in pain. And you know the funny thing? That was probably because she didn't feel any pain anymore. It was gone, like it had never been there. But she remembered it.  
  
She clenched her fingers as she came into consciousness. It was like a reflex or something, just grasping at the floor underneath her. Imagine her surprise when she felt the dirt between her fingers.  
  
Erin raised her head, very so slightly, eyes blinking in the sudden sunlight. She was laying on her back, looking directly up into the sky. She could see the sun in between the wavering branches of the trees. Wait a minute. Trees?  
  
She jerked upright, her head protesting that action greatly. She placed a hand to her temple, shutting her eyes and willing the dizziness to go away. She attempted to get to her feet, using one hand to brace herself from behind. She failed in her first attempt, only succeeding in pushing herself backwards instead of upwards. That's when she fell on someone.  
  
The someone gave a loud oomph when she fell on them, a sound that was entirely male. She slid off, turning herself around to look at her companion. Hunter was groaning, clutching at his stomach where she had landed. She frowned at the sight of the man. The events of the previous night came back to her and she couldn't help but sneer at him.  
  
"Nice driving jackass," she muttered, before climbing to her feet at last. He opened his eyes at that, hazel orbs shooting her a murderous glare at her remark. She ignored him, scanning the immediate area for Jenn.  
  
Her sister lay not far from Hunter, a few yards to the right of him, and she was slowly rousing herself. Both sister and boyfriend made it to her side, helping the woman to her feet.  
  
"What happened?" Jenn asked, her voice groggy.  
  
"Your boyfriend demonstrated why the police have taken his license away on two previous occasions," Erin muttered darkly, glaring at the man in question. But Hunter took no notice of her, eyes roaming over the large wooded area around them.  
  
"Where's the car?" were the first words out of his mouth. Erin rolled her eyes, annoyed that his first thought had been of his car not his girlfriend. But she closed her mouth before she could get a word out. Her eyes followed his, taking in the undisturbed forest around them. There was no sight of the car, not even a shard of glass from the windshield.  
  
There was in fact nothing to indicate that they had been in a car accident the night before. Erin squinted off into the distance, not even seeing a clear pathway to the road.  
  
"Are we dead?" was Jenn's question. Erin shrugged, turning to pinch her on the arm rather roughly. Jenn gave an outrage yelp, hand going to her arm immediately.  
  
"Guess not," Erin mused. Jenn continued to glare at her younger sister darkly.  
  
"You do that when people ask if they're dreaming," she reprimanded her sister, hand still rubbing her arm. "Not when they asked if they died."  
  
"We're not dead," Hunter scoffed. He had a puzzled look on his face as he looked around them. "I'm not sure what happened, but we're not dead."  
  
"Though not for your lack of trying," Erin sneered at him. Hunter turned on his heel, eyes flashing dangerously as he towered over her.  
  
"Excuse me?" he snarled.  
  
"Guys, let's not-"  
  
"You heard me," Erin interjected, cutting off her sister rather quickly. "I've put up with a lot of your shit over the past two years Hunter, and last night was the final draw. You could have killed us you idiot!"  
  
"I do not have to take lip from you right now," Hunter growled, advancing on Erin menacingly. "I'm not in the mood right now."  
  
"Oh, and like I care," Erin shot back. "You're an ass Hunter. You nearly got us killed and you're acting all indignant. Why don't you just drop dead already?"  
  
He opened his mouth to speak, he did. But he never got a word out. Erin heard the weird whizzing sound just seconds before she felt saw something suddenly protrude out of Hunter's chest. There was a spray of blood right into her face, causing her to flinch and not see right away. But when she recovered, she saw it. There was an arrow going through Hunter's chest.  
  
He made a weird gurgling sound, looking at Erin in confusion. Erin just felt a numbness start to take over her. She watched as he tried to raise his hand and then just fell over at her feet. Jenn let out an alarmed cry, rushing to his side immediately. But as her sister cried over him, trying to stop the bleeding of the wound, Erin knew it was pointless. The light had faded from Hunter's eyes. He was gone.  
  
Jenn was screaming in rage and pain now, moaning over her fallen lover. But Erin didn't really hear it. Her hand went up to her face, smudging at the blood there. She brought her fingers in front of her eyes, as if verifying that it was blood on her face. Hunter's blood on her face. Hunter was dead.  
  
The shock of the incident wore off when she heard the slight growling coming from in front of her. She raised dumbfounded eyes to the new arrival, mind going at once paralyzed with fear. It wasn't human, whatever it was. It was blue with yellow eyes and bad teeth. It smelled, she could smell it before it was too close to her. And it made the scariest growling noise inside his throat.  
  
She took a step back, noting that Jenn had stopped crying for the moment. The thing just glared at her. Erin's eyes went to the bow in his hand, then to the arrow in Hunter's chest. She felt an insane amount of fear in her heart at that moment. She reached out with a shaky hand for Jenn, her sister clasping it tightly. As one, both sisters sidled away from the large monster in front of them.  
  
It let out a snarl, bringing its hands to the bow once more. That was all the encouragement Erin needed.  
  
"Run," she managed to gasp out. She wasn't sure at first if Jenn heard her, but then she felt the tugging on her hand. Turning at once, both sisters fled deeper into the woods and away from the creature.  
  
*****  
  
It was still behind them. She could hear it, hear them. There were many of these things running around them. Erin didn't want to know how many exactly. There was only one thing that she registered at this point in time.  
  
Run.  
  
And she did run, Jenn's hand firmly clasped in her. They dodged frantically around trees and bushes, the things bearing down on them from behind. Erin sent a silent prayer up to God for giving her the common sense to wear pants to the dinner instead of a skirt. She could not have managed this in a mini.  
  
She ran, Jenn dragging along beside her. She ran for a very long time, never once stopping to take a look behind her. Never once stopping to spare her sister a glance, not even a word. She just ran. Her lungs were burning from the force of it and she wondered if she would make it out of this alive. Her legs felt like rubber, there was a searing pain in her sides, and her hand felt slightly cramped from the force of Jenn's grip. She didn't have much energry left, she shouldn't have been able to carry it on for much longer.  
  
But still she ran. Never stopping in the least, never slowing down to catch her breath. Branches snagged at both the sisters as they flew through the forest. Erin felt all the scratches on her arm and sides, feeling the slight blood dripping from them. There was a lot of blood today. She still had Hunter's blood smudged on her face. Hunter, who was dead, and whose body they had been forced to leave behind. Hunter who was suck a total prick the entire time she knew and she had actually told to drop dead before he dropped dead. She hadn't really meant it. She hated him that's for sure, but she hadn't actually wanted him dead. She had just wanted him gone. Well, he was gone now, gone for good. And his blood was on her face. Her thoughts were coming quite circular.  
  
She heard Jenn cry out, giving her own cry of outrage when her sister slammed into her from behind. They both tumbled to the forest floor, rolling for a bit until they came to a stop. Erin scrambled to her feet immediately, trying to pull Jenn up with her. Then she saw the arrow in Jenn's arm. They had shot her sister.  
  
"Jenn get up," she pleaded, eyes intent on her sister. "Get up they're coming."  
  
But Jenn couldn't see through the pain. Her eyes were glazing over and she stared up at her sister with remorseful eyes.  
  
"I can't," was the whispered reply.  
  
The things caught up to them at that moment. Erin felt the tears sting her eyes at once, standing in front of her sister protectively. The one who had initially confronted her stepped up once more. It had an arrow to his bow, aimed right at her. She wanted to fall back and cry, but she stood her ground.  
  
More of them emerged from the trees, just wakling right out of the leaves. They were all so hideous and snarling. Erin never felt so alone in all her life.  
  
Arrows rained down on them from nowhere. She jerked around, eyes going to the trees behind her. She couldn't figure out which way was what and she couldn't tell where anything was coming from. Jenn lay bleeding at her feet, there were monsters all around her, and arrows coming from nowhere. She spun around, hopelessly lost and confused.  
  
She heard snarling in her ear, jerking around to face one of the things right in the face. She barely registered the hand it raised to her before she felt in on the side of her head. She went down, falling on top of her sister, head spinning.  
  
She heard a hissing sort of cry, and hearing a thump near seconds later. She squinted, looking forward, and making out the shape of the thing laying in front of her. It had an arrow in its chest, and it looked as dead as Hunter.  
  
Good.  
  
Jenn was crying underneath her. Erin tried to focus on her sister, but her vision was swimming still. She wrapped her arms around Jenn haphazardly, hands brushing the arrow in her sister's arm. Erin blinked rapidly, trying to make her vision come back into focus, but it didn't happen.  
  
She heard voices in some sort of strange language. It could have been English, but she was too out of it to understand anything. She felt hands on her, trying to lift her up. Erin tried struggling, wanting to stay with her sister. But they pulled her away.  
  
She looked up, seeing bits of blonde hair and blue eyes. They kind of ran together and her head hurt too much to make much of it. Things kept swimming around and around, all falling into one another. She squeezed her eyes shut and tried to make everything stop.  
  
And eventually it did. Things stopped running and Erin fell into sleep. 


	3. Part Three

***Okay, forgot to say in the first part that this takes place after The Return of The King, so I hope no one gets lost or confused.***  
  
***Also, sorry it takes me so long to upload chapters. I've got a killer schedule of work and school right now, so writing time gets seriously cut down. I'll try my best to get them out fast, but there might be a wait between parts.***  
  
Part Three  
  
***Lyrics from Linkin Park's Forgotten, from Hybrid Theory (it's like my favourite album. Can you tell?)***  
  
***From the top to the bottom Bottom to top I stop At the core I've forgotten***  
  
It seemed like forever since she slept peacefully. First she dreamt only of pain and of tires squealing while her mouth was stretched open in an endless scream. And then she woke to find a quiet forest with no signs of metal or glass or even blood. But then she witnessed the things that only nightmares were made of.  
  
And even though she had been saved, there was no saving her mind from the experience. She saw it all in an endless stream while she slept. There was blood first and foremost. Hunter's blood, Jenn's blood, there was a lot of blood. She couldn't seem to hide from it.  
  
***In the middle of my thoughts Taken far from my safety The picture is there***  
  
Hunter, he hadn't screamed so she was spared that awful theme. But Jenn screamed. She screamed and cried. Erin heard those sounds during her sojourn to the dreamland. In fact, it was like a backdrop for everything. She heard and saw many things, but her sister's screams were always there. Hunter had died, and her sister had nearly caved in on herself.  
  
***The memory won't escape me But why should I care***  
  
Hunter had been the biggest ass on the face of the planet. He really had been. But he didn't deserve to die. He deserved to have Jenn dump his ass and kick him out of their house, but he hadn't deserved to die. Erin hadn't meant those last words she had spat at him. They were said in nothing but anger and hurt. She didn't mean a word of them. But she had still said them, and then he had died.  
  
She couldn't seem to get away from her words.  
  
***There's a place so dark you can't see the end [Skies cock back] and shock that which can't defend The rain then sends dripping/an acidic question***  
  
Had it been her fault? Sure, they were only words. And they hadn't been the first time she had said them to someone, definitely not the first time she had said them to Hunter. But she hadn't quite put so much feeling into them before. She remembered the way she was thinking when she uttered those words. Her thoughts had been black and cold. She had never felt so much anger in all her life towards one person. Hunter had nearly killed them with his stunt on the road. She had seen her life flash before her eyes, she had felt the panic in her chest. She had sent a prayer up to the heavens to spare her life because she wasn't done living just yet. She had been so very scared.  
  
And he had been the cause of it. Her anger had been so strong that it could have burned someone. She thought for sure her blood had been boiling during it. And there was a seeming power descended into her hands when she felt that anger. She felt as though she could have hit Hunter and sent the man flying somewhere far away from her.  
  
But instead she wished him dead. And then he died.  
  
***Forcefully, the power of suggestion Then with the eyes tightly shut/looking through the rust and rot And dust/a spot of light floods the floor And pours over the rusted world of pretend The eyes ease open and it's dark again***  
  
Her dreams wouldn't free her of that guilt. She kept hearing the words over and over and over again. When she dreamed of running from the monsters of the woods, her words flew alongside with her. They taunted her, jeered her, and cut at her. They flew back into her face, stopping her run immediately, leaving her at the mercy of the monsters.  
  
And Jenn's screams carried on in the back. She heard only that and the things that she said to Hunter.  
  
Words were powerful things.  
  
***In the memory you'll find me Eyes burning up The darkness holding me tightly Until the sun rises up***  
  
Her dreams kept her in that forest, refusing to let her mind drift to pleasanter things. To better times, when she had been a little girl and her grandmother would tell her wonderous stories of elves and fairies and the such. No, her dreams demanded she stay in that time and evaluate what she had done.  
  
But had she done anything? Wishing for something doesn't automatically make it true. Even if it did, she hadn't wished for Hunter's death. No, she had just said empty words, for the purpose of making him angry or to feel guilty. They had no basis behind them. Even though she had always wanted Hunter gone, she had never wanted the man dead.  
  
No matter what she said to him last.  
  
***Moving all around/screaming of the ups and downs Pollution manifested in perpetual sound The wheels go 'round and the sunset creep past the Street lamps, chain-link and concrete A little piece of paper with a picture drawn floats On down the street till the wind is gone The memory now is like the picture was then When the paper's crumpled up it can't be perfect again***  
  
She wanted to wake up. She wanted to be awake and to be rid of her dreams. They were hurtful, they were making her cry. She didn't want to be stuck in an endless stream of Hunter's death. She didn't want to wade through the pools of his blood that her mind conjured up for her. She didn't want to spend eternity running from his body, running from the monsters of the woods. She wanted to be awake and to see the sun again.  
  
She longed for the warmth of the sun. The light of the sun, that was all she needed right now. Something, anything to chase away the darkness from her dreams.  
  
***Now you got me caught in the act You bring the thought back***  
  
Her fingers were grazing over something soft and smooth. It felt like silk almost. It was cool against the skin, stretching out a long way underneath her. And she was so warm, wrapped up in something infinitely heavy and comforting.  
  
It was a bed. She was in a bed. But she had been in the forest last. She remembered being in the forest. In the forest with those horrible things . . .  
  
Her eyes started to flutter, a hazy image greeting her sight. There was a giant fuzz, only vague shapes being apparent to her at first. She blinked, squeezing her eyes shut tightly before opening them again. The fuzz persisted, but was fading away each time she blinked.  
  
She frowned to herself, a hand going up to rub her forehead. She shut her eyes once more, as if willing the veil to be lifted away. She wanted to see things clearly, she wanted to be able to think clearly. Her mind was telling her that something had happened. And if she could only remember everything that transpired after she ran.  
  
Very slowly, her mind clicked. Things came back to her, images flooding her mind. She groaned, unable to make much sense of them. She remembered gripping Jenn's hand tightly as they ran through the woods. She could see the scenery passing by her as she ran, trees whizzing past her at an insane speed. She hadn't really been running that fast, had she?  
  
Jenn. That thought woke her up in an instant. Jenn had been shot. Jenn had been bleeding. What happened to Jenn?  
  
She shot up out of bed, eyes opening once more. The haze had lifted and she could see things clearly now. She was in a bed, a very large and nice bed. The room she had slept in was comfy, though there was entirely too much white in it. White walls, white ceiling, white drapes, white chairs, white bed, everything was white.  
  
But it was all secondary. Jenn was important now. She swung her legs over the side of her bed, determined to go in search of her sister. But she hadn't counted on being weak, being unable to stand on her own two feet.  
  
She sank down to the floor with a yelp.  
  
There was noise after that, the sound of a door opening. She heard footsteps and gradually two people came into her view. One was a woman, who had a seemingly kind face, the other was man, stern blue eyes gazing down at her. Both were blonde, both were incredibly beautiful, and both dressed in the strangest manner. They spoke to her, in some tongue she had never heard before. They seemed concerned for her, but that was all secondary in Erin's mind. She registered only one thing.  
  
Their ears.  
  
***I'm telling you that I see it right through you***  
  
She screamed. 


	4. Part Four

***Sorry about all the time between posts. It's hard to write with school and stuff heaping up on a person. Thanks to all the people who have reviewed, and hopefully you guys will continue to enjoy this story.***  
  
Part Four  
  
The scream had shattered the peace of the house. It had rung out across the morning sky, distrubing the quiet breakfast the Lord of Rivendell had been enjoying. His children looked up at him in shock, a slight bit of fear flashing over their faces at the sound. It had sounded so terrifying.  
  
Arwen reached for his hand, concern on her face. Elrond squeezed her hand back, glad to have his only daugther back in his house. He had a feeling that he would need her in the days to come.  
  
His daughter Arwen and her husband had come from Gondor when they had heard of the incident of Orcs in the forests near Rivendell. Many other rulers and old friends had come when they heard of the Orcs attack and the strange women found afterward. But Lord Elrond had no answers for these visitors when they arrived. He knew nothing of the strangers, for they had been asleep since they were found half-dead in the forest. All were waiting on the ladies to arise, in hopes of having some questions answered. But they had not yet awoken, until now.  
  
Lord Elrond had dropped his cup with a start at the scream, raising bewildered eyes to his sons and daughter beside him. They all wore the same expression on their faces. Arwen had turned her head to the south of the palace, eyes going to where the strangers were being kept. Her father understood without having to say a word. Their guests were awake.  
  
Wordlessly, Lord Elrond rose from the table and made his way down the palace hallways. His children were right on his heels, many other Elves watching their trek to the south side. The scream had rang out only once, but it had been filled with such terror that the whole palace was in fear of it. Elrond only walked faster, footsteps clacking harshly instead of the usual silent tread of Elves. He spied the crowd growing in front of the room of one of the strangers. He was quick to push his way through, eyes bewildered at the sight before him.  
  
The stranger sat on her bed, pushed back against the headboard with her legs drawn up to her chest. Her arms were clasped tightly around her legs, her face buried in her knees as she rocked back and forth. He could hear the mutterings coming from the girl, not able to make much of the incoherent rant. He looked sharply at the Elvish woman who was supposed to be waiting on the child.  
  
She fell out of bed sire. the maid was quick to assure him. I came rushing in here with Fingrot at my side. But our appearance only served to distress her. She screamed and recoiled from us.  
  
Elrond nodded, looking closely at the girl on the bed while he cautiously approached her. He could hear her ramblings more clearly now, though they confused him more than before.  
  
"They're not here, they don't exist. They're not here, they don't exist. They're not here, they don't exist . . ."  
  
The same sentence over and over again. Elrond furrowed his brow, sitting on the bed near the girl. She stiffened at the shift on the mattress, turning one eye to see who was there. He sat back silently, not wishing to alarm her further than she had been. She spoke in the Common Tongue, not surprising since she was human. But the problem was, she wasn't quite like the humans he had known in his lifetime. Her apparel, and the apparel of her companion, were odd to see the least. And for some reason, she seemed frightened by the presence of Elves. And her ramblings, it was as if she was trying to convince herself that the Elves were not in the room with her. She was strange, but hopelessly lost.  
  
"How are you feeling?" he asked her tentatively. She shook her head, burying her face in her knees once more. She refused to answer him, refused to look at him.  
  
"Child, what is the matter?" he pushed gently. "You must tell us. We cannot help you if you do not."  
  
"You're not here," she whispered to him. "You do not exist."  
  
"Child-"  
  
"I am not a child!" she was quick to snap. "And this dream or whatever is so not fun anymore. You're not real okay? You're like a figment of my overactive imagination. Don't think I haven't figured out what really happened, because I did."  
  
"Then what happened?" he asked her softly, exchanging concerned looks with his children.  
  
"I'm in a coma," she revealed, jumping off the bed and scurrying into the corner furthest from her visitors. "Hunter crashed the goddamn car and I was really hurt because I remember that I didn't have my seatbelt on."  
  
"Seatbelt? Car?"  
  
"So I probably went head first through the glass," she continued, as if no one else had spoken. "I'm probably really really hurt in the hospital. Jenn is freaking out as we speak, and Hunter is trying to stop the cops from taking his license away from him again. And all of this stuff is not real, but stuff I made up in my mind. Hunter, well, he died because I was so incredibly pissed at him. Jenn got shot because I'm mad at her for sticking with the jerk off. And those things in the forest, they were manifestations of my problems with both of those two. And that's why they were so totally violent. And you guys, well, Grams always used to tell me stories about Elves and Fairies and stuff, so I know where you guys came from. Yep, this is all in my head. I made all of you up."  
  
Elrond was very confused by her ramblings. She seemed to be very desperate, frantic to try and explain all of this away. The things of which she spoke of, cars and cops, were foreign to him. It was as if she was not of this world, but that was not possible. At least, to his knowledge it was not possible. He turned to his children, seeking Arwen with his eyes.  
  
Go bring me your husband he commanded her. She needs to see one of her own.  
  
Arwen gave the slightest of nods before turning to leave the room. Elrond looked back at the girl, seeing she was still in the corner talking to herself. She was a mess, hair in a wild mane, eyes wide and panicked. Her hand was brought to her mouth as she bit away at her nails in fear. She didn't look at any of the Elves assembled in her room for more than a few seconds at a time. She shut her eyes periodically, mumbling increasingly as she did so. Every time she opened her eyes, she seemed to be very disappointed. It was as if she was trying to make them disappear with sheer will.  
  
"Child," he approached her once more, hand outstretched in what he hoped was a reassuring manner. "We wish you no harm."  
  
"You can't harm me," she laughed nervously. "I'm dreaming all this. You're not real and therefore you cannot harm me. This is all in my head."  
  
"We are as real as you are," he tried pleading with her.  
  
"You can't be," she wailed in distress. "Because if you're real, this is all real. And Hunter did die and Jenn is hurt and those things-oh God, what the hell were those things in the woods?"  
  
"Child, please let us help you," Elrond pleaded, approaching her a bit closer. She recoiled from his hand, dodging out away from him.  
  
"Just stay away!" she shrieked. "I know you're not real, but just stay away! I don't want this, any of this. I just want to be home with Jenn and even that idiot Hunter because he was a jerk but he shouldn't have died. He didn't die, this is all in my head."  
  
"We won't hurt you," Elrond tried again. "But you have to understand. We can't help you until you realize that we are real."  
  
"People with pointy ears are not real!" she shrieked. "Maybe on Star Trek, but whatever, I always hated that show. And another thing, Elves aren't real. You're not here, you don't exist. Just like Mom used to say,even though Grams used to say differently, but Grams was senile in the last days, so you can't really take her word for it. You're not real, you're things of fiction, and none of this is happening-"  
  
Father came the whisper at his side. Arwen approaches with Aragorn.  
  
He nodded, resignedly turning away from the frantic girl in front of him. She was still mumbling to herself, closing her eyes and trying hard not to cry. He shook his head sadly. She needed to accept the truth before they could help her. He did not know what she feared or how she came to his city, but he knew one thing.  
  
She did not belong here.  
  
*****  
  
She couldn't understand why they weren't going away. This was her imagination and she could very well make them go away. And yet, they remained whenever she opened her eyes. They had to go away, they were unnerving. They were so eerily beautiful, so pale and tall and regal. It wasn't natural the way they looked. Their skin was so soft and unblemished, eyes so clear, it wasn't right.  
  
She was dreaming all of it. She remembered the stories her Grams used to tell her when she was younger. These things fit her description of Elves to the tee. So it was logical that she was just dreaming all of this. All these things were just images she had seen before in her life. They were all just coming to the front because her mind was working overtime while she was injured from the car crash. That made sense, it made perfect sense.  
  
So why didn't she believe herself?  
  
The dark-haired one in front of her wasn't helping matters much. He kept on approaching, saying such reasonable things. And he wasn't threatening in the least. But he couldn't be real. None of it could. It was just too bizarre to be real, too scary.  
  
The one in front of her finally backed off. She gave a sigh of relief, sinking to the floor. She kept her head down, eyes on the floor. Maybe now they would all go and she could wake up in some hospital bed with Jenn next to her and Hunter looking on guiltily from the door. Because he was always sorry, the only problem was he was sorry so much of the time. He just never learned and was made the same mistakes.  
  
Someone was kneeling in front of her.  
  
"Go away," she muttered unhappily. "Just go away so I can wake up already."  
  
A hand was put to her chin. Unwillingly, her face was brought up, green eyes meeting a kind face. A kind human face. Her eyes went to his ears, as if trying to verify that he was for real. Normal ears, tanned skin, a few wrinkles here and there, he was human.  
  
"I don't want this to be real," she whispered pleadingly to him. "I just want to be at home with my sister. Hunter too if that's what it takes to get me out of here."  
  
He gave her a sad smile.  
  
"Your sister is well," he informed her. "She is resting no more than three doors down. The arrow caused her to loose a lot of blood, but the healers were able to restore her to complete health. She is fine, sleeping off her injuries. But as for your other companion, I am sorry my lady."  
  
She felt the few tears trickle down her cheeks. She never had liked him, but he was Hunter. Jenn loved him and he was okay at the beginning. She liked him in the beginning. She supposed that's why Jenn stayed for so long, because there was a chance that the nice Hunter would come back out. And for all the crap that the jerk pulled, he never hit either of them. It didn't make him a prince, but it didn't make him a complete monster.  
  
"I didn't really want him to die," she whispered to the man next to her. "I just said it cause I was angry, I didn't mean it. But then he really was dead and I just couldn't believe it. It's just so much better if it was a dream, because then he's not really dead and I never said that to him. I didn't mean for it to happen, I was just angry."  
  
"It was not your fault Orcs were in the forest with you," the man informed her. "You could not have stopped them from slaying your friend. But you and your sister are safe, you should have some solace in that."  
  
"But this all can't be real," she insisted, eyes pleading with him. "None of this is real. Elves don't exist and there aren't blue and green monsters running around shooting arrows at people. It just doesn't happen. This isn't normal, it doesn't happen in real life."  
  
"It is quite common here," he assured her.  
  
"Then where is here?" she demanded, rising to her feet. "Because I don't belong here if stuff like this is normal. Where I come from, none of this stuff can happen. It's not normal, it doesn't happen!"  
  
"But it does here," he told her firmly, gripping her by the arms and leading her to the bed. "You need to understand that this is all real. As soon as you can, then we can help get you to where you do belong."  
  
"You can do that?"  
  
"We will try," he promised her. "I swear it."  
  
She nodded, giving him an appraisingly look. She turned her gaze to all the people, er, Elves waiting outside her room. She kept nodding to herself, as if affirming all of it. The tears started trickling down her cheeks again.  
  
"It all happened," she whispered. "Oh God, how am I going to tell Jenn? She loved that idiot, and he's really gone, and we're not home-how am I supposed to . . . to -"  
  
She broke out into a full fledged sob, turning burrow herself back under the covers. She cried for a good long time, getting all of it out of her system. She felt the hand on her back, trying to soothe her. She heard the Elves flutter around the room, some people drying her face and murmuring sweet melodies to her. Very slowly, she drifted back off into sleep, the events of the past few days catching up with her. She was so exhausted, she felt so numb all over. The last few days had been too hard on her emotionally and physically.  
  
And it wasn't even over yet.  
  
***** 


	5. Part Five

Part Five  
  
When she awoke next, there was light shining in her face. She blinked once or twice, looking about the room in confusion for one second. Then she remembered. Hunter was dead. Jenn had been hurt. She was in a strange place with Elves and blue things that liked to shoot people with arrows.  
  
Erin let out a sigh, falling backwards onto her pillow. She stared up at the ceiling, trying to come to some sort of resolution about this. Was she crazy, or was all this for real? The larger part of her brain wanted her to be crazy, because the reality of it was too frightening. But even as she thought of it, Erin knew it wasn't true. She was lucid, she was sane. This was all real.  
  
She struggled into an upright position, noting that she felt much stronger than before. Most of the scratches and cuts she had gotten during her run were healed and gone. Her body felt entirely more relaxed and rested than before. She leaned back on her headboard, flexing her legs at the knees and marveling at the pain that wasn't there. So far in the past two days, she had been in a car accident, transported to some sort of fantasy world, and chased through a woods by monsters only to be saved by Elves. Her head hurt just thinking about it.  
  
She looked around the room, taking in the simple loveliness of it. From what she had seen of this place, simple loveliness summed it up. Especially the residents. God, they were all so flawless it was scary. Their eyes . . . haunting. She dimly wondered how the humans of this place resisted falling in love with such creatures. It would be entirely too easy to do so, but their unattainability would be heartbreaking. No creature so lovely would ever bothered with the flawed and imperfect race of man. Would they?  
  
That man had been here, the one with the kind face. He looked all dignified and important, but she also caught a bit of adventure in the twinkle of his eyes. He was something else this human, and all the Elves seemed to hold him in respect. They had parted in his wake, leaving him room to be alone with her. They seemed to look at him with affection and reverence. He was something more than just a man.  
  
Erin let out a deep breath, blowing a few strands of hair off her face. She couldn't very well sit here all day and muddle over things. She didn't know how long she had slept this time, though it felt like it was a good day or so. Lord knows how long she had slept the first time. So it hadbeen days since she had last seen her sister.  
  
Jenn. The thought of her older sister made Erin straighten. She was quick to throw the covers off, swinging her legs around to the side of the bed. She tentatively touched the floor with her bare feet, biting her lip at the faint touch of cold that greeted her. Learning her lesson from the last time, Erin eased up into a standing position. She kept a hand on the bed lest she fall on her butt again. She really didn't want the Elves to come in here for the second time to find her sitting pathetically on the floor.  
  
She found getting to her feet a lot easier than it had been before. Erin straightened, her legs strong underneath her. She gave a relieved giggle, thankful she had regained her strength. She took a step towards the door, flailing as her legs wobbled a bit. Okay, maybe she hadn't regained all her strength.  
  
Erin gritted her teeth, moving slowly but assuredly towards the door. It seemed to take forever, but her legs became more stable with each step. She allowed herself a triumphant grin when she reached the door. Her hands wrapped around the knob, turning it and pulling the door open. She was a little disappointed that it took so much power on her part. She wanted to be fully recovered, not just partially. Cowardly or not, she wanted to have the ability to fight and flee at a moment's notice if needs be. Not that the Elves were particularly frightening, but it couldn't hurt to have the option.  
  
The door swung open, revealing several stern Elves on the other side. Erin gulped, looking between the three of them. Two were male, one female, and oh so pretty. It had to be a crime to be that pretty. They looked like dolls or something. Perfect beautiful, slightly disapproving dolls.  
  
"You are not strong enough to be up," the female was quick to tell her. Erin shrugged, frowning a bit.  
  
"Well, I made it to the door on my own, so maybe I'm stronger than you think," she replied evenly.  
  
The Elves smiled at her, the female placing a hand on her arm. Erin made a protesting sound as the Elf tried to return her to the bed.  
  
"You have been through a terrible ordeal," the female told her. "The healers said it is best for you to stay off your feet until all of your strength returns."  
  
"Well, not happening," Erin frowned, dragging her feet and forcing the female to stop. "I'm going to see Jenn. I have to be with my sister."  
  
"Your sister still sleeps," one of the males informed her, taking Erin's other arm and pushing her back towards the bed. "When one of you is strong enough, we will bring you to the other."  
  
"I'm strong enough now!" Erin snapped, her anger getting the better of her for a second. "I want to see my sister and I want to see her now."  
  
"You're not-"  
  
"If you don't get your hands off me, you're going to see how strong I," the human growled. "I want to see my sister. NOW!"  
  
A deep chuckle from the doorway interrupted any further conflict. Erin sighed in relief to see the human who had been with her before. He walked into the room, waving the Elves away. The female had a brief protest, in some weird language that Erin had never heard. The man answered her in the same tongue, his tone obviously amused. Erin stood awkwardly while they conversed, feeling a bit like she was missing some sort of joke. Her frustration must have shown on her face, as the man was quick to give her a reassuring smile.  
  
"The nurse insists you are not strong enough to be out on your own," he told her, the amusement heavy on his voice. "But from what I can see, you have regained your strength and seemingly your tongue as well."  
  
She felt a deep blush come over her face, frowning at his laughing manner.  
  
"I didn't mean to yell," she muttered. "But I want to see Jenn. I haven't seen her since she got shot and I need to see her."  
  
He nodded, turning to converse with the Elves. They exchanged quite a few words, the female frowning quite a bit before reluctantly nodding her head. The man turned back to her with a smile.  
  
"Tariea agrees that if I accompany you, she will allow you to go."  
  
"Wasn't aware that I needed permission," she muttered under her breath. When the Elves tittered she realized they had heard her.  
  
"Elves have superior hearing," the man supplied at her stunned face. She blushed brighter, mumbling some sort of an apology under her breath. It was just waved by the Elves and the man, the nurse, Tariea, covering Erin's shoulder's with some sort of cloak. The man offered her his arm and led her from the room.  
  
Outside, it was even more beautiful than she had imagined. This place looked like nothing she had ever seen before. So grand and majestic, it was like . . . like she had always imagined Narnia to be. In fact, if she met a talking animal, she would not be at all surprised. Okay, she would be surprised, but it wouldn't be too much of a shock. After all, there were Elves wherever the eye could see.  
  
"My lady," the man started, bringing her out of her thoughts. "We have yet to learn your name. We know of your sister, the lady Jenn, but yours . . ."  
  
"Erin," she supplied, eyes never leaving the gorgeous landscape around her. "My name is Erin."  
  
"Well, Lady Erin-"  
  
"Just Erin," she cut him off. She turned back to him with a bit of a smile. "There's no Lady in front of it. Just plain Erin. I'm not royalty or anything."  
  
"Very well," he consented. "Erin. I am called Aragorn."  
  
"Aragorn," she repeated, letting the strange name roll off her tongue. "Does that come with some sort of title? Like Lord or king?"  
  
"Why would you suspect that?" he asked, amusement back in his voice. Erin shrugged, eyes going to look out at the various buildings around her.  
  
"You don't seem like just a guy," she explained. "You look like you should have some sort of title."  
  
"And if I didn't?"  
  
"Then I'd give one to you," she decided with a laugh. "I'm telling you, you look like you should have one. So do you, or should I give you one?"  
  
"I have one," he revealed. "But perhaps we should save that for another time. Your sister's room."  
  
Erin stilled as they came to a stop in front of a door. For a second a terrible fear welled up in her chest. She couldn't go in there and tell Jenn everything. Jenn wouldn't believe her, would refuse to believe her. Hunter's death would be too much for her sister. She couldn't be the one to tell Jenn all these things.  
  
"Erin?"  
  
She blinked, remembering that Aragorn was with her. She shook her head, giving a brief smile, and heading for the door. He waited respectively by the door until she had reached Jenn's bedside. After she sank down next to Jenn, he pulled the door closed and Erin heard his footsteps as he wandered away.  
  
She looked down at her older sister. Jenn slept peacefully, her brow unworried in her sleep. Erin lifted up the covers, looking at her sister's wound in earnest. It had healed, for the most part. She traced the bandage with her fingernail, remembering how Jenn looked at that moment. The paleness of her face and the failure in her eyes. Jenn had been ready to die. Does a person come back from that sort of acceptance? Would Hunter's death just make Jenn want the comfort of her own? Would she able handle all these changes? Erin wasn't sure she was handling them all that well for her own part. But Jenn, could she accept all of this?  
  
Erin shut her eyes, hands going to stroke her sister's hair while she slept. While Erin's own hair was a deep chestnut colour, like her father's, Jenn had the red hair of their mother. In fact, Jenn had most of their mother's features. The small nose, pale skin, and tiny mouth. Erin was much more like her father, regal nose, high cheekbones, slightly darker colouring, and full lips. But they did share one thing, those beautiful green eyes of their grandmother. That was probably the only thing that even helped clue people in on their relation. Otherwise, it would be impossible, they were far too different.  
  
Her sister was still deep in sleep. Her injury had been far worse than any Erin had suffered. She dimly wondered if Jenn had woken yet. Had the Elves checked her for a concussion? Did they know what a concussion was? They seemed pretty adept at the other parts of healing.  
  
She looked down at her sister, seeing how peaceful Jenn looked in her sleep. She didn't want to disrupt that with the news of what had happened to them. Jenn might not be able to handle it.  
  
Erin gave a sigh, crawling under the covers with her sister. She wrapped an arm securely around her sister, eyes watching her continued sleep in worry. Things wouldn't be pretty when Jenn woke up, they weren't all that pretty right now. But they were bound to get worse. Her sister could be very high strung when she wanted to be.  
  
Erin sighed again, closing her eyes and settling down comfortably next to her sister. She would deal with it when it happened. Until then, she was counting her lucky stars. She was alive, Jenn was alive. That was more than she could ask for.  
  
***** 


	6. Part Six

Part Six  
  
"You know Aera, there are many things in this world, a lot more in others."  
  
Confusion, tiny little six-year-old mentality trying to grasp the words being spoken to her. She turned her eyes upwards, seeing the face of her grandmother, utterly serious even though they were discussing fantastical things. But then again, Grams always treated the fantastic with respect, like it existed.  
  
"What do you mean Grams?"  
  
Her grandmother sighed, pulling the six-year-old Erin onto her lap. She tried to explain it again.  
  
"The world around us, it's not all that there is. There are thousands of other peoples and stories out there. No one person could learn all of them, but it's everyone's duty to learn some."  
  
Still confused. She knitted her eyebrows together, trying to force her brain to comprehend the big things Grams was talking about. But she couldn't, she was still too young. She needed help with it.  
  
"Grams?"  
  
Grams sighed again, pulling the book towards her. That book, full of pages of great fairy tales that she always loved to hear. She missed that book. Mom burned it in a fit of rage after Dad died. Grams couldn't even stop her. Grams waved that book at her right now.  
  
"Think of this book. Inside, all kinds of stories. About Elves and fairies and dwarves and much more. It's called a fantasy, but then where did it come from?"  
  
She thought she knew that answer.  
  
"Someone made it up?"  
  
Grams laughed, kissing the top of her head.  
  
"Darling, you honestly think there is someone out there who could create this much on their own? One person, able to think up of an entire universe with no inspiration from what they've seen in their life?"  
  
She frowned, feeling a bit surly. She thought she had been right. Because, what other choice was there?  
  
"But Grams, they couldn't have seen this kind of stuff."  
  
Grams looked her in the eye.  
  
"And why not?"  
  
She gave a sigh, feeling very adult being given the ability to explain this to her grandmother.  
  
"Because it's not real. Mommy says so."  
  
Grams sighed again. Erin frowned, Grams was doing an awful lot of sighing.  
  
"You're Mommy isn't as wise as she would like to think. She tries to fit everything into what other people say is normal. She forgets that not everything can fit into categories of normal."  
  
But Mom knew lots of stuff, she never forgot anything. And what was wrong with normal? Mom said normal was good.  
  
"Grams, I don't understand."  
  
"I know you don't my pet. But think on this, not every thing people tell you is real."  
  
"Why would they lie Grams?"  
  
"They don't lie honey. They just don't know any better. Humans like living in a glass house. They can see everything outside, but they're so busy giggling at their reflections that the outside goes by unnoticed for the most part. Only those capable of looking beyond themselves can ever get out of that house."  
  
Again with the confusion. Her grandmother was going far over her head.  
  
"Grams, I'm confused."  
  
"I'm sorry baby. I guess this is all too confusing. But just try to remember this one thing."  
  
"What Grams?"  
  
"The world is far more mysterious than you think. Remember Aera, just because you see something, doesn't mean that's the end of the story. The world is a mystery. The ending is nothing more than the beginning."  
  
She was starting to get a bit irritated.  
  
"Grams, that doesn't explain anything."  
  
"Well, maybe it's not supposed to. Aera, don't you want to be out there, finding answers all on your own?"  
  
"I'm only six Grams. I'm not allowed to go to the playground by myself."  
  
"That's not what I meant honey."  
  
"I don't know what you mean Grams."  
  
"It's . . . nothing dear. You're still too young. But one day, it'll be time."  
  
"Time for what Grams?  
  
"Time for you, my darling Aera. Time for you."  
  
*****  
  
The slightest caress across her brow caused her to flinch in her sleep. It was the softest of touches, kind of ticklish. The hair was being pushed off her forehead. She frowned, scrunching up her nose as a few strands went rebel, tickling the under of her nose. She sneezed, hand rubbing her upper lip as her eyes began to open.  
  
The words of her grandmother left her suddenly, but she didn't want them to. Something was in those words, something very important. Her grandmother had something to say to her, something Erin lost a long time ago. The words, they were the answers. But it was the questions that eluded Erin even more than the answers.  
  
But the words were gone, fading fast. Sleep left, taking the dream and its answers with it. She felt very disappointed in herself. She should have caught on with what Grams was trying to say. After all, she had been saying it for such a long time. But it was gone, sleep was gone, and Erin was awake.  
  
The sight of sad green eyes welcomed her. Erin blinked, staring at her sister in confusion for a second. She remembered in a second. She had climbed into bed with Jenn while her sister slept. Jenn had awoken before she had.  
  
"Jenn?" Erin murmured, frowning as her sister continued to play with a strand of her hair.  
  
"It all happened didn't it?" Jenn asked softly, a underlying tinge of pain in her voice. "Hunter really-"  
  
Erin sighed, rising up to a sitting position. Jenn followed, eyes intent of her sister.  
  
"It happened didn't it?" Jenn demanded again, voise raising slightly as her panic swelled.  
  
"It happened," Erin consented, grasping at her sister's hand. "It all happened. Hunter-he's gone Jenn."  
  
Jenn nodded, biting her lip as she looked away from her sister.  
  
"Those things, the blue things with the bad dental job," Jenn shook her head. "It can't be real-"  
  
"Been there sis," Erin cut her off tiredly. "Been there and been proven wrong. They were real. They, I don't know, but they were for real."  
  
"How?" Jenn wailed. "It's wrong! It can't-Hunter was just with us. I don't know how-Erin! This is all so wrong!"  
  
"I don't know what to tell you," Erin sighed, resting her head on Jenn's shoulder. "I don't have an explanation. Just been putting it off for a while, trying not to think about it."  
  
"We have to think about it," Jenn countered vehemently. "We can't ignore it Erin. Something happened, and now Hunter's gone and we're here all alone-"  
  
"Not really alone," Erin muttered. Jenn frowned.  
  
"We're not?"  
  
Erin gave another sigh, climbing out of bed. She started pacing in front of Jenn's bed, hands wrining as she tried to find a way to articulate her thoughts.  
  
"Erin . . ." there was an underlying threat to her sister's voice. Erin bit her lip, stopping in her pacing to face her sister.  
  
"Do you remember those stories Grams used to tell us . . ?"  
  
*****  
  
The talk of them had not abated.  
  
In fact, it only grew as days passed on and the strangers themselves offered no answers. People were creating their own stories for the new arrivals, some wild and some tame. All of them sounded unplausible to his ears. Not one of the spun tales were near to the truth. Or at least he imagined.  
  
He could not know either way, but he knew in his heart they were not witches or humans with lost senses or even spies of Mordor. They didn't seem threatening to him, though he had yet to see them. He just knew it.  
  
Elrond would not say much on them, just that they were lost. He understood that, but they had to be very lost. He wondered where they did come from. Some of the Elves were whispering rumours that they might just be mad, running away from their caretakers. But that didn't seem to fit either. Aragorn had spoken with them. He said the brunette one was sane, just scared. The redhead had yet to awaken, but the brunette said they were sisters. The man they had come with, Hunter, who died in the forest, he had been the redhead's lover. But that was all they knew of the strangers.  
  
The Elf known as Legolas gave a sigh, heading through the palace in search of his comrade Gimli. Perhaps a talk with the dwarf would take his mind off that strangers. All this wondering was making his head hurt.  
  
***** 


End file.
